The prevention of water degradation, however, is not going to be cheap. Capewide, it will cost between $3 billion to $8 billion to keep our waterways clean.

Since this is a Capewide problem — since we all use our ponds, lakes and ocean beaches — all Cape residents should share the burden of managing our wastewater.

Jan. 16: Impressed with his energy and with hopes for his independence, we support Scott Brown in the special election for U.S. Senate.

Although we do not agree with Brown's position on health care reform and cap and trade, voters should consider the whole package when they go to the polls Tuesday.

Brown is an independent Republican who supports President Obama's strategy in Afghanistan. He supports women's right to choose, though he opposes partial-birth abortion.

On issues important to Cape Cod, he opposes the wind factory on Nantucket Sound, unlike Martha Coakley.

And unlike many conservative Republicans, he supports bipartisan efforts and environmental protection.

"If the Democrats have a good idea, I'd be happy to vote with them," he said. Brown is exactly what Washington needs — someone who will vote his conscience rather than spew party rhetoric.

April 29: It's been a long nine years of review. And it's not over.

Today, a new chapter begins. Although Interior Secretary Ken Salazar yesterday conditionally approved the Cape Wind project, the battle to protect Nantucket Sound now simply moves from the executive to the judicial branch of government.

A judge or panel of judges will determine whether the project gets built. If Cape Wind clears the legal hurdles it now faces, then it will be time to move on.

But it does not change our view that Cape Wind is the wrong project in the wrong place. That a private developer was allowed to stake a claim on a public resource like Nantucket Sound speaks volumes about our government's inability to protect national treasures.

We have long advocated an all-inclusive zoning process that leads to a comprehensive ocean management plan, which identifies appropriate and inappropriate places to build any commercial structure off our coast.

Sept. 14: One Lauren Bradford is too many.

The beautiful Brewster teenager had a loving family, an affection for the underdog, and a world of promise at her feet. But her life was choked out of her by drugs, first prescription pills and then heroin.

Lauren's story has been retold again and again, with only the name changing.

We are being ravaged by an epidemic of drug use. Over the past three days, this newspaper has detailed a subculture where pills are soaring in popularity, where addicts can easily get prescriptions to feed their habits, and where police and politicians so far have been powerless to stop the spread of the destructive but often legal drugs.

We must face the reality of what is eating the fabric of our community. And from awareness must come action: new legislation to crack down on unethical medical professionals, tighter regulations on bad practices like doctor shopping, and abolishment of the glaring prescription drug loophole caused by Florida pill mills.

Oct. 23: Making a mistake does not always reveal one's true nature. We all make mistakes, some more egregious than others, and often they are accidental, regretful and incidental to who we are. But how we respond is always quite telling: Do we own up to our errors and seek to make amends or do we hide from the truth and deflect the facts? The strength of our character is on display in our response.

In the race for the Massachusetts 10th Congressional District, there has been much talk about state Rep. Jeffrey Perry's past, but we are more concerned about the present.

Indeed, we have been troubled by Perry's responses about two strip searches conducted by a subordinate at the Wareham Police Department, his misstated application to the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners, and how he came to include a fraudulent college among his academic achievements.

While we believe he has been a good representative for the 5th Barnstable District, the repeated lapses in truthfulness are too serious a breach of trust to support his candidacy in this race.

The candidate on the other side of the aisle is not perfect, but District Attorney William Keating has demonstrated he is well qualified to represent the Cape and Islands in Congress.

Nov. 6: It's easy to jump to conclusions about the death of a woman in Mashpee two months ago. We know many of the facts and we listened to the heart-wrenching 911 call from the desperate man screaming for help.

But making up one's mind with the limited information we now have would not do justice to the memory of the 39-year-old woman who lost her life. More facts must come to light. Then, judgments can be made.

Brent McFarland's fiancee died in his arms in the early-morning hours of Sept. 4. The woman was choking on a marshmallow. She was pronounced dead at Falmouth Hospital.

McFarland is pointing the finger at the town of Mashpee and Barnstable County's dispatch service as contributing to his fiancee's death.

He believes rescue workers were slowed in their response by confusion over his address, and he's questioning the lack of assistance he received from the emergency dispatcher who took his 911 call.

He wants answers.

McFarland is right to ask questions and he is entitled to a full accounting of what happened. So are we all. There cannot be a more vital issue to the community than the performance of the public safety and emergency medical staff.

We hope town and county officials are leading a thorough probe into not only this tragic death but also the system that has been called into question.

Whatever happened in Mashpee on Sept. 4 was clearly a tragedy and we need to know what factors led to this woman's death. And equally important, the community needs assurance that this terrible event is not repeated.

Dec. 1: So what's not to like about this?

The Massachusetts School Building Authority, which contributes taxpayer money to school construction projects, asks Harwich to explore regionalizing with another town after Harwich considered replacing its 1963-vintage high school.

After 18 months of hard work, a study committee, comprised of three people from each of the affected towns, votes unanimously to support a Harwich-Chatham regional school district.

The joint board believes that a new regional district would improve academic opportunities, increase extracurricular activities, and save money for both towns.

On the financial ledger side, the proposed regionalization would save Chatham taxpayers between $2.5 million and $3.5 million per year and Harwich taxpayers $400,000 a year.

So what's not to like about this proposed regional school district? Nothing, from what we can see. This is in the best interests of both towns and their students, and that's what matters.

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